It marks the second upset in a quick span for the Chargers—chatty quarterback Philip Rivers is zipping his lip.

On the heels of the disappointing opening-game loss to the Panthers on Sunday, Rivers has told everyone he will not be revisiting last year’s holiday scene at Qualcomm Stadium. That one in which Rivers was seen jawing in the direction of Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler when the Chargers iced their victory.

“I’m not going to get into it through you guys, through the media, all week long,” Rivers said. “I’m just not going to do it. I’m going to talk football about Denver and see what kind of team they are as I get to prepare for them and go play the game.”

Rivers said he was shouting at his defense when it made the stop that clinched the victory. But it appears Rivers is yelling at Cutler on the You Tube video clip that is getting plenty of hits this week.

Tomlinson was seen limping slightly after the game and X-rays were taken just to make sure the two-time defending NFL rushing leader will be OK Sunday.

“I think it’s still too early to tell but I don’t think it’s anything too serious,” said Tomlinson, who rushed for 97 yards in Sunday’s loss. “Obviously taking a look at it (Monday) morning, there was nothing that came up on the X-rays or anything like that. So that’s a good thing.

“Now it’s just dealing with the soreness. It’s something I’ve had before so I don’t think it will be a big problem.”

The Chargers are hopeful the toe mimics Rivers and is quiet leading up to the team’s first game against an AFC foe.

• It was a heartbreaker. It was unexpected. It was a sorry way to start what the Chargers hope is a super season.

“We all know how the game ended and certainly it is a tough way to lose a football game,” coach Norv Turner said.

The Chargers coughed up a late lead in falling to the Carolina Panthers, 26-24.

With a rocking home crowd pleading otherwise, Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme threw the game-winner with no time remaining.

It stunned the fans and it stunned the Chargers.

But Turner said his mantra starting Monday is unchanged, despite Sunday’s downer of an outcome.

“Had that play ended in our favor, my message to the team is the same,” Turner said. “Watching the tape and watching the game live, like every other team in this league, we have to get better.”

So often a win sweeps away the mistakes to the naked eye—it’ll cure almost everything.

But coaches know better. That’s why even if Delhomme’s pass to Dante Rosario had instead found the ground, Turner had a long list of things to improve on.

Maybe an ugly win would have let some skip over a shaky run defense, a missing pass rush, some questionable run-blocking and the team’s inability to get its wide receivers involved.

Regardless of that lengthy list, the Chargers can’t dwell. Not with a trip to Denver on the horizon.

One thing about Sunday’s loss was it didn’t come against a conference or divisional foe.

If the Chargers lose Sunday, they can’t say the same thing. Instead they would be 0-2 and awaiting the arrival of the resurgent Jets.

So a win or a loss in the opener? Either way the Chargers know they have to get better—quickly.

Notes, Quotes

• OLB Shawne Merriman was every bit a physical presence and had his usual speed—so said coach Norv Turner. But those watching him more objectively saw someone lugging around a bad wheel. Thus Merriman, who played with two torn ligaments against the Panthers Sunday, decided to undergo surgery to repair his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

“Shawne informed me he did not feel right and thought it best to shut it down,” Chargers GM A.J. Smith said in a statement. “The road to winning the AFC West just got more difficult, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Shawne is a great player and an inspirational leader. He will be missed. We wish him a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.”

• Running back LaDainian Tomlinson wasn’t surprised the Chargers got the Panthers’ best shot. “Teams are going to play us tough,” he said. “They always know they have to come in here and play and we have to go out with the same approach.”

• TE Antonio Gates is going to battle his cranky toe all season. “The judgment part of it is what makes it tough: whether I’m helping the team or hurting the team,” said Gates, who was restricted by the toe injury but caught four passes for 61 yards and a score.

• The Chargers matched the number of home losses of last season in one game.

Strategy And Personnel

PLAYER NOTES

• WR Craig Davis, the team’s top pick last year, was a healthy inactive for the opener.

• FB Michael Tolbert, an undrafted rookie who made the team out of camp, showed well in his debut. He delivered some solid blocks and gained six yards on three carries.

• LT Marcus McNeill is expected to return to practice this week after missing the preseason and opener with a spinal injury.

• CB Antoine Cason, this year’s first-round selection, played well. He had six tackles—one for a loss—with a pass defensed and a forced fumble.

REPORT CARD VS. PANTHERS

Passing Offense: B-plus—Philip Rivers had one of his better days and that was in the face of a pretty consistent pass rush that limited his time to get the ball to the outside. Rivers threw for three touchdowns and compiled a nifty 125.1 passer rating in one of his better games as a starter. Antonio Gates scored a touchdown, but he is having trouble moving with his sore toe. The wideouts had but four catches total, but two of them—to Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson—went for touchdowns.

Rushing Offense: C—LaDainian Tomlinson came on late and ended up just three yards shy of hitting the century mark. But there was some tough going early in the game where he was often met before he could reach the line of scrimmage. The starting five up front featured three new faces from last year’s opener—and it showed.

Pass Defense: C—Carolina QB Jake Delhomme didn’t have huge numbers—247 yards with one touchdown. But he didn’t turn the ball over and was sensational on the last drive that resulted in the win. The pass rush was a no-show—the only sack came when Delhomme turned and ran into Igor Olshansky. Shawne Merriman and Luis Castillo were very average. Somehow, someone has to apply pressure or knock down the last pass which gave the Panthers a win.

Rush Defense: C-—Of all the defensive blemishes, this one is alarming and the offensive line of Carolina had its way with the Chargers—especially up the middle. Maybe DT Jamal Williams needed to knock off the rust from not playing in the preseason or maybe the team misses ILB Stephen Cooper (suspended) that much. Whatever, the run defense gave up nearly five yards per carry—that’s way too much.

Special Teams: C—P Mike Scifres had a long of 63 but it will be his short one that went 32 yards and led to a fourth-quarter Carolina field goal that will be remembered. The return game was decent with Darren Sproles showing longs of 41 (kickoff) and 12 (punt). Chargers coverages were on the mark.

Coaching: D—You gotta win at home in the opener and the Chargers failed to do so. Looking ahead to their game in Denver? Hard to say. But defensively the Chargers needed to make some kind of an adjustment to pester Delhomme and it never happened. Offensively, the Chargers needed to stretch the field more by getting their wideouts more involved—something that finally happened late. Among coach Norv Turner’s goals was going undefeated at home—scratch that one from the list.

Coaching: D—You gotta win at home in the opener and the Chargers failed to do so. Looking ahead to their game in Denver? Hard to say. But defensively the Chargers needed to make some kind of an adjustment to pester Delhomme and it never happened. Offensively, the Chargers needed to stretch the field more by getting their wideouts more involved—something that finally happened late. Among coach Norv Turner’s goals was going undefeated at home—scratch that one from the list.